March 7, 2008 - Why the Hesitation?? - Ontario must ban smoking in cars when children are present.. The Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the Ontario government plans to introduce legislation in the spring session (begins March 17, 2008)to ban smoking in cars where young children are present. The premier is concerned that he must ensure his citizens the appropriate balance between the rights of individuals, the right to exercise personal freedoms and liberties, and Ontario's collective responsibility as a society to protect the interests of our most vulnerable. When a parent brings a child into this world they want the very best for their child. Dr. Suzanne Strasberg, board chair of the Ontario Medical Association, said the concentration of smoke in cars can be up to 60 times greater than the concentration of smoke in a room inside a house. The risks to children from exposure to second-hand smoke include respiratory illnesses, middle ear disease, lower respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome and increased risk cancer and heart disease in adulthood. Surveys of smokers have found that 90% would support a ban on smoking in cars when children are present. It's a no-brainer - Get the Legislation Passed and Enforce It.. Some related news briefs: Vehicles Most Dangerous Space for Second-Hand Smoke Levels..Read more...

March 6, 2008 - Dangers of hookah (waterpipe) smoking - Harvard Mental Health Letter.. A new fad among college students and other young people—smoking from a hookah—is raising public health concerns. The centuries-old tradition of smoking from a hookah, or waterpipe, is widely perceived to be less harmful and addictive than smoking cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. Yet a number of studies suggest that hookah smoking may be just as addictive and perhaps even more harmful because of the way people smoke while using a waterpipe. Researchers have found that hookah smokers inhale more often and for longer periods than typical cigarette smokers. Scientists estimate that by puffing longer and in greater volume, a waterpipe smoker inhales the equivalent of 100 cigarettes or more during a single waterpipe session. Some related news brief: Pipe dreams: With more hookah bars popping up, experts warn about the potential dangers of tobacco..Click on image to enlarge..Read more...

March 6, 2008 - Tobacco a threat to pregnant women and children in developing world.. An NIH study indicates that rates of tobacco use during pregnancy, as well as exposure of pregnant women and their young children to secondhand smoke, are significant threats to health in several low and middle-income countries. This study is the first to examine pregnant women's tobacco use, second-hand smoke exposure and attitudes toward women's tobacco use in multiple developing countries. The study was conducted by an international team of investigators, The researchers conducted this investigative survey in nine developing nations to get a preliminary look at the magnitude of the problem. The researchers found as many as 18 percent of pregnant women currently smoked cigarettes, up to one-third used smokeless tobacco, and as many of half were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in the nations studied. Uruguay and Argentina had the highest levels of smoking during pregnancy across all ten study sites (18 percent and 10 percent respectively). In the Indian sites, one-third of all pregnant women used smokeless tobacco in Orissa and about twenty percent of pregnant women in Karnataka were often exposed to secondhand smoke. The highest levels of secondhand smoke exposure were found in Pakistan, where about half of all pregnant women and their young children were frequently or always exposed to secondhand smoke. About one in ten pregnant women at the site in Pakistan reported that they had tried cigarette smoking. Lead study author - lead author Michele Bloch, M.D., Ph.D., of NCI's Tobacco Control Research Branch. Findings of study will appear in the April 2008 issue. Amer. J. Public Health. Click on image to enlarge..Read more...

March 4, 2008 - Cuban cigar sales rose 7 percent to $402 million in 2007.. The Cuban cigar company Habanos is owned jointly by the Cuban government and Altadis SA, which was recently acquired by the Imperial Tobacco Group. Cuban cigars comprise 80 percent of the world cigar market -- not counting the United States, which has had a trade embargo banning Cuban products since 1962. Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Cuba's domestic market remained top consumers of Cuban cigars last year, while sales in Canada fell 7 percent as stricter anti-smoking laws took hold, anos Vice President Manuel Garcia said. The company does not reveal how many individual cigars it sells a year, but the total is believed to be between 150 million and 160 million. Garcia spoke at the 10th annual Habanos Festival in Havana. Altadis, the manufacturer of Fortuna, Gitanes and Ducados cigarette brands, is also the world's leading cigar distributor of cigars through its 50-50 venture with the Cuban state. Imperial Tobacco Gets Approval to Sell Brands in U.S..Click on image to enlarge..Read more...

March 3, 2008 - Ad support for Grand Prix snus will be POP (point-of-purchase displays) with the tagline "Freedom to snus,” handled by Milk, So. Norwalk, Conn. R.J. Reynolds will be aggressively expanding Camel Snus its new smokeless tobacco brand, into a total of 17 markets this year. The company teamed up with Gyro Advertising, Philadelphia, on a campaign with the tagline “Pleasure for where ever, whenever” to promote the product. Philip Morris is broadening distribution of Marlboro Moist Smokeless Tobacco after testing it in Atlanta last October. Lorillard, maker of No. 1 menthol cigarette Newport, partnered with Swedish Match to test its smokeless entry, Triumph snus, in Ohio and Georgia this year. But even smokeless tobacco is not guaranteed to be safe. According to a study conducted by the Karolinska Institute, a Swedish medical university, people that use snus are twice as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as people who don’t smoke or use smokeless tobacco. (Liggett Goes Smokeless by Mike Beirne, Brandweek, 2/29/2008) Read more...

March 2, 2008 - Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) announced today (February 21, 2008) that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco C.V. (RJR), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of RAI, will receive a payment of euro 265.0 million (approximately $387.6 million) from Gallaher Limited (Gallaher), a JT International (JTI) Group company, resulting from the termination of the joint-venture agreement between RJR and a Gallaher affiliate. In 2002 US tobacco firm RJR formed Reynolds-Gallaher International to give the manufacturer access to cigarette sales in most countries in the European Union. It was scheduled to run through 2012 but in May 2007, as a result of the acquisition of Gallaher Group by Japan Tobacco, it was announced that this joint-venture would cease in November 2007. The joint venture marketed American- blend cigarettes primarily in Italy, France and Spain. (Gallaher brands include Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut, Mayfair, Kensitas Club, Amber Leaf and Hamlet Cigars. Japan Tobacco became the sole owner of the Gallaher Group on 18 April 2007, in the largest ever foreign acquisition in Japanese history. ( Reynolds to receive nearly $388 million to settle demise of joint international venture by Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal, 2/21/2008) Gallaher Sweden is part of JT International, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco, Inc. (JT), the world's third largest international manufacturer of tobacco products. The JT Group's total tobacco net sales amount to USD 37.4 billion (US $1 = ¥118.05) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, JTI is present in over 60 markets with 23,000 employees, and sales activities in more than 120 countries. In Sweden JTI is the market leader within cigarettes with brands including Camel, Blend, Right, Level, LD, Benson & Hedges and John silver. Gallaher Snus brands include Gustavus, LD and Level. British American Tobacco (BAT) was manufacturing Camel Snus in Sweden for RJR. Be the 1st to know: Now the same process is being used to manufacture Camel Snus in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

March 2, 2008 - Beginning March 1, 2008 the DeCicco Family Supermarkets in Eastern New York State, will no longer sell tobacco products in any of its six stores, including those in Pelham, Bronxville, Scarsdale, Jefferson Valley and New City. The family’s Ardsley store has been tobacco-free since its opening a year and a half ago, serving as a trial run for the other locations.

“I think it’s great,” said Dr. Joshua Lipsman, the Westchester County health commissioner. “It’s small in the global scheme of things, but extraordinary in the fight against the biggest public health problem we face and that is responsible for a third of all deaths.”